An Australian gynaecologist, previously ordered to pay more than $7million in compensation to a woman left disfigured following his treatment in the United States, is facing fresh legal action relating to his use of a controversial mesh graft product.

A 56-year-old Central Coast woman, who alleges she suffered severe physical and emotional damage after undergoing surgery where the mesh graft was inserted, is currently seeking to have her claim against Dr Reid heard in the NSW Supreme Court. In a statement of claim to the court, the woman alleged she did not sign a consent form allowing Dr Reid to use the Tissue Fixation System mesh, which was later removed by another surgeon.

In November last year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration deregistered the Tissue Fixation System mesh product, preventing its use in Australia.

In March this year, the Medical Council of NSW also ordered Dr Reid not to perform any major surgeries.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has been told that 14 complaints had been made against Dr Reid since 2002. Other women who received the mesh product during surgeries conducted by Dr Reid are expected to commence legal action in coming months, with allegations that they were not adequately informed about why they needed to have this procedure and were left with very poor outcomes in many cases. When Dr Reid resumed work in Australia after nearly two decades in the US, authorities were not informed that the Michigan Board of Medicine had fined him $10,000 and suspended him for three months for failing in his duty to safely practise medicine. Among the cases against Dr Reid in the US was a woman in her 20s that had eight surgical procedures, leaving her permanently mutilated, unable to have sex or use tampons, and with difficulty urinating. Another woman in her 50s was left left impaired in her ability to urinate or have sex following a series of laser treatments.

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